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'Make it happen'
Young gymnast sets eyes on Olympic glory
By Ambria Hammel, ahammel@catholicsun.org
September 4, 2008
MESA — While the summer Olympics ended last month in Beijing, one local 12-year-old gymnast is in training for a future gold-medal performance.
Katie Won, a long-time gymnast who balances her time between being a student at Christ the King Catholic School and 20-hour weeks at the gym, hopes to one day enter the Olympic Games.
“It’s fun for me and I love competing,” Won said. Last April she placed second in a state meet and fifth for her floor routine at a regional meet. Won remembers the exact dates.
Won also competes on the vault, uneven bars and balance beam. She’s successful in all of them, quickly moving up the ranks of the 10 skill levels before she can qualify to compete internationally.
After only four years of competition, Won moved from vying against gymnasts at level 4 and level 5 to brief stints at levels 6 and 7 before moving up to level 8 last year.
“There’s only a few kids who can do that physically,” said Anna Pawlak, coach of the Level 8-10 team and a local Catholic. “There’s a lot of talent there.”
Won feels she was called to excel in gymnastics. After all, she was born during the gymnastics portion of the 1996 summer games in Atlanta. Shannon Miller, Won’s favorite gymnast, earned two gold medals that year.
“You see, Mom, I’m destined to go to the Olympics because I was born during it,” Won enjoys telling Lori, her mother.
Won got her first real taste of gymnastics during a mommy-and-me class at 18 months old. She began regular practice at age 3.
She’s essentially been focused and progressing ever since, Lori said.
“She’s just so dedicated to it,” Lori said. “It’s a lot of hard work. She just pushes right through and loves it.”
Won spends four nights a week juggling homework with practice. The honor roll student also dedicates her Saturday mornings to the sport.
“Floor is my best event and my coaches know so they kind of have higher expectations,” Won said, who wears a black leotard embroidered with the phrase “Make it Happen” in red letters.
That means doing bigger tumbling passes in her floor routine. Won is always up for the challenge.
Sometimes Won’s coaches, who applaud her high energy, have to remind her to re-focus. But she does that well too.
Burton Howell has worked with Won for less than a year, but already had the chance to take personal pride in her growth during the regional championship in April. The contest marked Won’s first time competing by herself.
She stepped it up a notch and did a wonderful job, Howell said.
“She’s very gifted,” he added. “She just knows how to make the skills happen.”
That’s what it looked like from a spectator’s view. Won holds the behind-the-scenes secret.
“I always pray that I’ll do good at meets,” Won said. That includes a prayer just before each performance.
Howell easily sees Won competing in the junior Olympics in a few years. Right now, she’s training to test for the final level of competition before she’s able to contend nationally.
“I hope to maybe someday be in the Olympics,” Won said.
Since she prays for success before every competition, she just might be able “to make it happen.”
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